Search for the Cure, Reloaded
by NocturnLily
Summary: [[chapter 3 up]] With a plague taxing the Jewel of the North from the inside out, and no feasible cure from even the best healers in the city, a desperate call for adventurers is put forth. Riches and glory await. [A revamp of my original NWN foray; rated M for graphic epidemic conditions, violence and future adult encounters]
1. Prelude

_Note: This serves as a re-write of the original 'Search for the Cure', and, as such, will exclude the introduction of Kaia's (username: Perching Kite) tiefling, Majandra Damar, as there was no consent to include her in the revamp. As such, this series of chapters will illustrate an entirely different adventurer and their forays into the dangerous, plague-ridden city and beyond._

 _That having been said, please - read on, and enjoy!_

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 **[** Prelude **]**

The City of Neverwinter, Jewel of the North. A great city, a bastion of civilization. The city, ruled by Lord Nasher Alagondar, was brought crashing down when the Wailing Death came. With little other options to go with, a call for adventurers was put forth. Heroes were sought from those accepted into Neverwinter's Academy, whatever their motivations for answering Aribeth de Tylmerand's call were.

Only time would tell if those promising few graduates would live up to the expectations placed on their shoulders.

 **[** End **]**

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 _A/N: What a riveting introduction, not generic at all. A notable difference, however, is that, unlike its predecessor, this new character won't have such a ridiculous name. Until next time!_


	2. Chapter 1

**[** Chapter 1 **]**

 **Graduation Day**

Daylight filtered through the stained glass in the thin windows of the student barracks, dull and contaminated with errant particles of dust. The stone walls were thick, but not enough to drown out the perpetual suffering that wailed just outside the Academy's gates. A young woman, barely out of her twenty-second summer, rubbed the sleep from her eyes before shoving the covers down with her feet. She rolled ungracefully out and up, and shuffled to one of the curtained-off washbasins to prepare herself for the day.

Once finished, she made a quick sweep about the rest of the beds and found them empty; she scowled.

"Damn it all," she mumbled gruffly, still not quite awake as she strapped her leathers on.

A fortnight was hardly enough time to whip hero-hopefulls into proper form, but time was not on Neverwinter's side. Still, being the last to wake for the final class before a graduation ceremony-glorified pomp and circumstance and all useless, as far as she was concerned-was no way to greet an occassion that would finally see her free of the place.

Her armour squeaked lightly as she walked, and she groaned to herself - the notion to oil up the leather the night previous went disregarded in favour of banter with a few of her classmates; she would pay for it later, surely.

Having the training rooms so close to the barracks themselves was useful, perhaps, but not at all favoured; it only took a few steps before the sound of clashing and clanging echoed and bounced off the walls. Training dummies, lined in rows and varied between bull's-eyes and humanoid mock-ups, were taken up by warrior trainees. Drill sergeants screamed at them all, marching up and down and barking corrections to stance and parry techniques-none of which interested her. Sole against stone shuffled as she turned heel to leave, thoroughly ignoring the shouts of an instructor who managed to catch sight of her before she managed to escape.

 _Just keep walking,_ she thought to herself, picking up the pace. _Damn loudmouth can't interrupt an ongoing class, once I get there._

Those shouts got louder, and it was with a sinking realization that her pursuer either had longer legs than she, or was incredibly set on dragging her to menial grunt training. Green eyes locked onto the furthest door on the left, and she couldn't have been happier to see it open on its own. From it, a halfling woman stepped out and set her hands upon slim hips.

"Eva! 'Bout bloody time you showed!" she scolded. "Ye've missed a quarter of the class already, get y'r arse in here!"

She was all too happy to oblige-a half hour more, and she would be that much closer to Aribeth's blessing.

If only it were that simple.

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 _A/N: The actual introduction to the original campaign is so much slower than this; in the interest of time, and in the interest of dipping my toes back into the water of writing on a regular basis, please have this accelerated version! All joking aside, I hope you enjoyed it!_


	3. Chapter 2

**[** Chapter 2 **]**

 **Under Attack**

Striding through the door to the graduation hall like she damn well owned the place, Eva tugged lightly at the tunic just under her leathers; that squeaking was becoming a nuisance, and she made a mental note of remedying it the moment all was over and done with.

Her position offered a clear line of sight to the front of the room to a paladin of striking beauty - the Lady herself, Aribeth de Tylmerande, mingled amongst instructors and students alike. The light from the sconces and candellabra lit up her reflective plate armour - warriors never seemed to be seen without, as was apparent by several other warrior-esque attendees - and the easy smile she wore dimpled just beneath those high, elven cheekbones. Among those that shifted from one gathering to the next, one struck her as very familiar.

Shade - as with many in questional professions and being no stranger herself, she very much doubted this was his actual name - moved easily between crowds, but the number of times she caught deep brown eyes connecting with hers did not go unnoticed. The dark-skinned elf was making no effort to hide that he was, methodically, making his way in her general direction. That damnable, perpetual smirk of his inspired one of Eva's own and, in a show of feigned disinterest, remained about the rear of the room - he would either have to navigate the full social gauntlet in its entirety, or outright bypass them if his intent was, in fact, to make it to her before official business went underway.

The vaulted ceiling echoed the murmurs below; students of all disciplines milled about in the spare antechamber decorated with passable tapestries and rugs. This 'graduation hall' was hurriedly put together, no doubt, but the energy of the students was undiminished as they waited for the ceremony to get underway. It was a simple formality - get the blessing of a vaunted paladin, eat yourself stupid and be thrown into the world the day after as newly-minted heroes venturing in the name of Neverwinter and her people.

Eva eyed the crowd, exchanging pleasantries with a few acquaintances she had gotten to know; it was droll, and she wanted nothing more than to will time to move just a bit faster. She did, however, take the time to size up a few others in the room - some brandished weaponry or special tokens in the name of celebration, and the itch in her fingers was tempting enough to answer once everyone was liquored and fattened.

The redhead had made unwitting eye contact as she was lost in thought and quickly feigned the malicious half-grin she sported into a jovial one, sauntering over to introduce herself. A quick glance in her peripheral saw Shade tutting playfully, and Eva knew she deserved it - her expression had given her away, however briefly. The rogue locked eyes with him, challenging him, and was answered; Shade's lips curled up daringly before turning his attention elsewhere.

A light voice drifted over the room, interrupting any further conversation; the smug expression on Shade's face fell before turning his attention to the speaker in question.

"Greetings to you all," the paladin said with a nod. "I am Lady Aribeth, and on behalf of Lord Nasher and the City of Neverwinter I wish to congratulate you on the completion of your training." Collective applause, and hoots of jubilation. "We face challenging times, but I believe what you have learned here in the Academy will serve you well - may the blessings of Tyr be upon you."

Uproarious cheering and many clapping of shoulders followed the brief speech. A few broad shoulders and heavy pauldrons very nearly knocked Eva off balance, and so she made her way, subconsciously, closer to the back of the room and towards the elven warrior. A gentle, inviting smile overtook the paladin at Eva's approach, and the woman found herself beckoned to Aribeth's side.

"Eva, I presume?" she asked, and was answered with a nod and quiet 'yes ma'am'. "I have been looking forward to meeting you - your instructors speak very highly of your performance, and we could use a few more good people."

A gauntleted hand was offered, and met with a leather-bound one. There was something in her radiance that made Eva relaxed and...happy? It was unsettling, but she shook it off and offered a pleasant smile in return.

"You honour me, Lady Aribeth - I am no more adept than my colleagues, here." Humility, she had heard, went over well with the honourable sort; she wasn't disappointed, as the paladin offered a small chuckle. Eva could have sworn she heard stifled guffawing within the vicinity, and it took everything she had not to look for the culprit; he could wait.

"Your modesty is refreshing, especially so for one in your trade." Aribeth looked over the roguish woman with appraisal. "Would you be willing to meet with me after the festivities? We could arrange-"

Something overtook the paladin and her face, already pale, became that of a sheet; her eyes widened and darted around in horror, a hand immediately on the blade hanging from her hip. She lowered herself defensively - this drew the attention of more than a few of the other warrior-graduates in the room and they followed suit, confusion and caution mixing on their faces.

"Do you feel that...?" Aribeth hissed. Eva couldn't deny a sudden smothering of the air around them, and slender hands went to her daggers.

No sooner did the paladin shout, "WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!" four simultaneous bursts of arcane light exploded in each corner of the room. Masked assailants, all of them shrouded in face-covers and dark clothes, wasted no time throwing magic errantly into the gathered students. Shrieks and roars filled the room as the situation devolved to chaos; Aribeth threw herself into battle, desperate to defend her students. Eva crouched and padded her way to the right, round one of the casters, and thrust a jagged blade into his back. She caught him mid-incantation, and his fingertips sputtered an eldritch blue before flickering out altogether. A mean-looking club came down from the front immediately after, crushing the offending mage's ribcage, and he crumpled to the floor.

Warrior, spellcaster and everyone in between took to arms, but the element of surprise proved too effective; precious few were able to withstand the deluge of magic missiles and other offenses, and many fellow senior classmen lay scrambled and bloodied across stone and textile. Eva was one of those fortunate few, though not unscathed; she drew her arm across her mouth and nose, doing her best not to retch as the smell of burning flesh overwhelmed the room.

The rogue looked to the door and found Aribeth taking account of the damage, her head on a swivel as her shoulders drooped, deflated. Her blade hung loosely, briefly, in her hand before she took a rag hidden on her waist to clean the blood away. It was discarded bitterly, and Aribeth sheathed her now-smeared sword. The paladin turned, wiping a spatter of red from her scowling face and motioning for Eva to come closer. Truth be told, she didn't want to come any closer - with the smiling, pleasant visage gone, Eva saw the anger and pain welling behind amber eyes.

There was something else, though, that made her pause; a rage, struggling to be contained.

"Eva, please - I must speak with you."

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 _A/N: oh boy, disaster! Tune in next time for the gutting of the Academy; hope you enjoyed!_


	4. Chapter 3

**[** Chapter 3 **]**

 **Siege on the Academy**

Beyond the thick wooden door of the graduation chamber, clashing of metal rang through the senior barracks and training rooms. Eva furrowed her brow as she cleaned her blade of goblin lackeys summoned by a fleeing would-be attacker, and listened a moment; it sounded like Aribeth had the right of it - the academy was under siege.

[][]

 _"This is no ordinary attack," the paladin warned, amber eyes flashing. "Surely you've heard the rumours surrounding the efforts of finding a cure-"_

 _"And of the Waterdhavian creatures, yes. But why keep them in the academy? Surely they would have been better off elsewhere."_

 _"I thought they would be safe, here." Aribeth shook her head. "Regardless, what's happened is done; I need you to check on them for me-"_

[][]

Eva took the key she was given and slid it into the lock of the massive door in the hall. It clicked, and she pushed through down another hall and into a storage room. Another person, garbed similar to the attackers she'd seen thus far, loitered and was searching through supply crates. She could only assume that idle greed made him deaf to the door opening behind him, and took her chance - sliding a jagged-toothed dagger from her belt, she sprinted forward and jabbed upward into the right side of the pilferer's ribcage. This drew as much a surprised howl as pained from her lone target, and he scrambled away.

The rogue could only assume this was another lowly caster - very few idiots took on a small fortress with only cloth for armament, with no additional foot soldiers to make up for lacking defense, and still think themselves capable - and was soon proven correct; a word of power sputtered from behind the crawling man's face cover and four arcane circles surrounded him on the ground. Eva managed to sink her blade into the back of the caster's thigh before he wheezed another spell, his physical form evaporating away to some other location.

[][]

 _"Wait, you're not coming with me?" Eva asked, incredulous._

 _"I cannot; my presence would make it difficult, if not impossible, to protect the creatures. You saw what happened - the attackers concentrated on this room, so it's likely their attack was centered on me." Aribeth frowned. "Even now, someone could be watching us through magical means."_

 _A large, bronze key was pushed into the rogue's palm._

 _"Take this, go down the hall and into the east wing - follow that, and you will eventually reach the creatures."_

[][]

More goblins lay slaughtered on stone and packing hay, but Eva no sooner turned from her handiwork that her blade was up again. She stopped short of her strike, cursing loud and hard in the face of a familiar, cheshire grin.

"Good to see you, too, my dear," Shade cooed, his grin widening.

"By the Nine, you in _sufferable_ -!"

In spite of her anger and surprise at being caught off-guard, Eva was equally glad to see he had made it out alive. The confliction between these choked any further words and ended up as nothing more than frustrated growling as her arm dropped to her side. The blade was not housed, however, as she was still contemplating how much he deserved to eat the metal. Shade saw as much and pantomimed his surrender with raised hands.

"Is that really any way to greet a friend?" he asked, chuckling. In spite of the blade that was very quickly brought to the tip of his nose, Shade couldn't quiet the deeper-bellied laugh at the scrunched frown on the woman's face. "I'll take that as a 'yes'."

"Where _were_ you?" Eva demanded.

"What do you mean?"

"I didn't see you when the mages attacked the graduation hall." It was more blunt than she had intended. Shade's face dropped from the easy, bantering smile to one of more neutral disdain.

"How accusatory," he said flatly, crossing his arms. "I would think you better than that, or at least more clever."

Eva was locked into silence again, this time in bafflement. "That's not what I m-"

"Then what _did_ you mean?"

"You were on your feet one moment, gone the next and-"

She stopped, watching Shade's expression shift from surprise to curious bemusement.

"And? Were you-" His eyes widened, and scrunched again in malicious glee. "Were you _worried_ about me? Oh Eva, you touch my heart, truly!" The elf brought a hand to his chest, fingers splayed over his heart as he bent lightly forward.

Eva rolled her eyes. "Don't flatter yourself, I was simply concerned we had lost a-" She gave him an obvious once-over, "- _passable_ sneakthief. Too many become easy targets from inflated heads."

She shook off her blade and sheathed it hastily, rounding Shade and making her way to the other side of the store room - they'd wasted enough time talking, and time was something not on anyone's side at the moment.

"I have something important to do, so if you're here you might as well come with me."

"Mm, how interesting. I would love to find out what this 'something important' is." There were no audible footfalls, but Eva had to assume the dark-skinned elf was, in fact, following her.

She reached the second door in the room and made for the handle, but an arm snaked around her before she could secure a grip; Shade opened it for her with a coy grin.

"Please, allow me."

Eva fought the grin that wanted so badly to answer his, thanked the other rogue for his 'courteous' gesture and continued through the hall to what looked to be a study. Inside, a man had more or less barricaded himself behind an upturned desk with mace and shield ready. He was jumpy, and looked these two newcomers over with surprise and suspicion. He and Eva recognized each other simultaneously; he, with relief - her, with thinly-veiled disdain.

"Eva! Oh, I'm glad to see you!"

"Likewise, Pavel - good to see you got out alive before the worst of this hit."

That was only partly true - of the senior classmen, Pavel was the worst-off in spite of admittedly hard work - she honestly thought natural selection would have taken over. Still she offered a relieved smile, but it didn't last very long when he did not reciprocate.

"Pavel...what's wrong?"

"I..." His entire demeanor changed, and his shoulders slumped. "My brother, he...didn't make it."

Eva turned slightly to look to Shade, who had an equally dour expression on his face as he crossed his arms.

"I'm sorry to hear that, truly..." When she couldn't come up with anything more to say, Eva made her way around the desk and to the would-be warrior, gently laying a hand on his pauldron. "Is there anything-"

"Eva, please," Pavel turned with desperation in his eyes. "Let me come with you! It'll be easier to survive in numbers-"

"I, ah...I don't know if-"

"I just want to get out of here; come on...please. It sounds bad out there, and I don't know if I'd be able to take on that many on my own."

She must have had a look of befuddled surprise on her face because, as she looked to Shade to gauge his reaction, the other rogue was watching with incredible amusement. Eva, now wholly unable to refuse for sake of image alone, looked back to Pavel.

"Alright, gather your things. We're leaving."

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 _A/N: Poor Pavel. Hey guys, don't forget to make sure and let me know how I'm doing, and what you think of the progress so far! I'd really appreciate it - enjoy!_


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